Fairy High
by Death by Cherries
Summary: It's a new year in Fairy High, and many students have come to enroll in this prestigious school. However, trouble is brewing. The evil could be inside the very school. There is a school that isn't exactly in good terms with Fairy High, either. People will wonder if they'll make it out of this mess alive. Rated T for future violence. Multiple pairings.
1. Crime Sorcière

**Hello~! This is my first fanfic (at least the first one posted on this site), Fairy High. I'm already really glad that you're reading this story. The stuff that you have already seen in the summary are much further into the story until the main conflict begins. This story is going to be a hopefully enjoyable read, but always expected a dark turn in the middle of something. **

* * *

"Makarov."

"What is it, Master Mavis?"

"Something horrific will happen this year."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain, Makarov."

The eighty-year old man thought about her statement. Mavis was never wrong about anything, no matter how childish she looked. "Alright. I'll put extra precautions."

"Make sure to tell the instructors as well. The threat may just be one of the students."

"I see. I'll get right to it, Master Mavis."

* * *

A new year in Fairy High. Students worthy of being chosen to such a school are not only highly capable, but they are also only selected if the have magical power. It's only five minutes before the first day, and the freshmen are already rushing to the doors.

"Darn it all," a redhead said while rushing to the main door, trying her best not to crash into anyone. "I just had to take my time and eat some cake along with breakfast, didn't I?" the redhead sighed and ran as fast as humanely possible. She shot straight through the door, and looked for where the gym was supposed to be, were they welcomed the new students and whatnot.

It took the redhead about thirty seconds to find the entrance, and immediately went to sit in a chair, still panting after all that exercise. It was lucky that she wasn't really stressed this morning, for if she was, well, we shouldn't go there.

"Erza? Erza Scarlet?" A soft, yet firm voice spoke. The teenager turned around and her reaction was indescribable yet overjoyed at the same time.

"J-Jellal!" Erza tried her best to keep quiet, which, obviously, failed. "You're here too? I never thought I would see you here."

Trying to keep their reunion casual, Jellal mustered out a what-do-you-mean-by-that-face and then a am-I-not-good-enough-face and directed them towards Erza. Erza had just enough time to mask her blush. She was flustered on how Jellal was joking with her after less than ten seconds.

Erza's train of thought was interrupted by the voice of Principle Makarov on the stage, starting his speech.

"Welcome to Fairy High! I welcome the freshmen and the students who have come back for their second or third year! Remember, become friends with many people. It'll help you feel comfortable. And of course, the first week will be focused on the freshmen. Today, most of you youngsters will be touring the building. Tomorrow, which is Tuesday, qualification exams will be taken by all the new students to see what class and environment suits them the most. And the results will be given and you will be put into your respective class on Wednesday. Virgo, our trusty supervisor/repairwoman, will hand you a sheet concerning the exams on your way out. Have a nice day!" With that, the students rose from their seats and headed for the exit. Erza and Jellal walked together, both being handed the sheet of exam info. Without realizing it, both teens leaned on a wall and unknowingly allowed their hips to touch, as they read the sheet.

Welcome to Fairy High! There are four things that you will be tested on:  
-Offensive ability (ex. Offensive magic, hand to hand combat, swordsmanship, etc.)  
-Defensive ability (ex. Defensive magic, shields, swordsmanship, etc.)  
-Intelligence (ex. Memory, reactions, strategies, problem solving, etc.)  
-Speed (quick to reaching destination, Speed Magic, swordsmanship, etc.)

There are 7 classes that you may be placed in:  
-Combat class, for the ones who excel in offense.  
-Protection class, for those who excel in defense.  
-Agility class, for those who excel in speed.  
-Class for the enlightened, for students with exceptional intelligence.  
-Stamina class, for the combinations of speedy and protective.  
-Strategic class, for the combinations of intelligence and offensive.  
-Advanced class, for the ones how excel in all subjects.

They both stood, in awe and fear at the same time. There was an always silence until Jellal decided to speak up.

"Um, Erza, the sheet says you can go in partners for the defense, offense, and speed exams and perform all three at the same time if we do so." Jellal secretly crossed his fingers.

"Uh... that sounds like a great idea." Erza said, flustered. "How about I stop by your place and we get ready? I live alone, so I don't have any other plans, I guess.

"Yes," Jellal felt like imploding with joy. "That sounds wonderful. We should be touring the building by now, right?

"Y-yeah..."

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's go and take a look."

* * *

"Fairy High sure is nice," Erza thought to herself. She got to meet most of the teachers for year one: Leo, the combat teacher, Aries, the defense teacher, Aquarius, the speed teacher, Crux, the intelligence instructor, Libra, the stamina teacher, and Shagotte, the strategic instructor. However, no one met the teachers for the advanced classes. Erza had asked Laxus, a third year advanced student, but he told Erza that those teachers never show up until the third day, when the exam results are in. Erza was a little disappointed. She looked at the clock, and it was lunch time.

"I wonder if they have any tarts at the cafeteria," Erza thought. "I could use one right about now."

Erza was heading to the cafeteria when a girl about her height approached her.

"Yo. Name's Lurana." the girl said, while approaching her.

"Nice to meet you, Lurana."

"Oh, can it, red head. I want to make a few things clear with you." her sudden change of attitude shocked Erza. "Listen, you dumb bitch. I've known Jellal since middle school, so don't even think of snatching him before I can. He's mine. M-i-n-e." with that, Lurana walks away, leaving Erza dumbfounded and insulted.

"Oh, don't listen to her, she's just cranky." a friendly voice said. Erza turned around to see a white-haired girl. "Some people are like that." The girl smiled. "My name is Mirajane Strauss, but I prefer that people adress me as Mira. Nice to meet you. Erza Scarlet, right?"

"Y-yeah. Nice to meet you too."

"Come on, it's almost lunch. You can eat with me. I'm new here too."

"Sure." Erza was still nervous. She knew that she wasn't the best at socializing, and could be a bit awkward.

* * *

"So, Mira, what magic do you use?" the red head was curious to know.

Mira chuckled. "I'll reveal my magic tomorrow during the exams, but I'll give you a hint. My family specializes in take over magic. I'm the oldest of my two other siblings."

"Wow," Erza was certainly impressed. She could feel Mira's humongous magical power lingering everywhere, and she probably wasn't even trying to exert any. Plus, what really surprised her was that Mirajane's magic seemed to be that of a devil's, but she shook it off. "Are your other siblings attending too?"

"Well, there's Lisanna, but she joins next year. Then, there's Elfman, who would most likely get into offense class. He's a bit dense though, and he's obsessed with being a 'man'," Mira's last comment made Erza giggle. "Oh, it seems like lunch is over. See you later, Erza." Mirajane got up and walked down the hallway.

Erza felt proud of herself. She had already made a great new friend. She decided to look for Jellal. "Why? Whatever, Erza. Just look for him." Erza started to feel awkward after talking to herself out loud.

* * *

Erza eventually found Jellal near the second year advanced class, talking to another person. She had black hair tied into two long pigtails, and wore a slightly revealing purple dress. She seemed to be very strong and calm.

"Oh, hey Erza." Erza walked over nervously. "By the way, Erza, this is Ultear Milkovich. I rent her basement to live there. She's in her second year of advanced class."

Ultear walked over to Erza and held out her hand. "Ah, so this is the girl I hear from Jellal so much," Erza blushed at the statement. "Nice to meet you, Erza Scarlet." they shook hands, and Erza suddenly felt more at ease with Ultear.

"Nice to meet you too, Ultear. So, you're Jellal's landlord?"

Ultear chuckled. "Something like that, I guess, b-"

"Ultear-sama! Look! I got you a really neat necklace! Will you go out with me now? Pretty please?" Voice came from a dark haired and skinned man that was just about half an inch taller than Ultear. He wore a casual black suit and an undershirt with cheetah print.

"No, Ren. You can't bribe me like that, and you know it." Ren deflated and left with the expensive necklace, ashamed.

Suddenly, a triumphant grin grew on Jellal's face. "What?" asked Ultear.

"Ul, do you remember that bet we had this morning, hmm?" his grin growing. Ultear rolled her eyes. "that's already guy number 25." Erza was becoming confused. 25th?

"Fine, fine. You win," Ultear dug into her pocket and took out some money. "2000 Jewels, like I promised." Jellal took out his wallet and shoved the 2000 jewel into it.

Erza was dumbfounded. She had just witnessed something she'd never thought she would see. Did 25 guys ask Ultear out since this morning? Oh god.

"Better get ready, Erza. According to Fairy High's: ask a girl out policy, each girl has a different limit to how many times a girl can be asked out each day. The way they determine this is by using the expression 3b, b being the size of your bust. The first day usually has the most," the red head paled at the thought. "just treat it like anything else if you don't want to date the guy. Just don't reject them harshly."

Erza shuddered. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. "But... Ultear, why haven't you accepted any?"

The black haired teenager's expression changed immediately, and she sighed. "I want to date a guy who I like that loves me for what I am, not for this," She pointed at her chest. "The search of eligible guys within second and third year has been fruitless." She sighed again.

Erza was touched. Ultear really knew the world well.

"Well, I should be going. Second year and third year students have to help prepare for tomorrow. See you later!" with that, Ultear dashed off, but not in a way a personality like her would do.

"Looks like Ul's practicing that dumb girl act to prank others," Jellal said. "It's really convincing to others that don't know her well, but it's hilarious to watch for people who do. Well, see you after school ends. You're coming with me to get ready, right?"

"Yeah. See you then."

* * *

"The First day ended pretty well, don't you think?"

"I guess so, Mira. That Lurana girl is still bothering me."

"Actually Erza, I think I've heard of her before. They say she's overly possessive of any guy she likes and is hot tempered. I think she is a holder-type Mage that specializes in defense and offense."

"Shoot. A personality like that is going to be a handful." Erza immediately covered her mouth to keep herself from blurting out her thoughts.

Mira smiled. "I should be going now, Erza. See you tomorrow, 'kay?" Mira walked away and waved at Erza before meeting up with her younger brother, who was twice a large as she was. Erza waved back.

"Boo," Erza jumped and saw Ultear, Jellal, and a younger girl behind them. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. But who's the other one?" Erza said, pointing at the younger pink-haired girl.

"Ah, that's Meredy, Ultear's younger adoptive sister." Jellal said a Erza examined Meredy. She was about two inches shorter than herself, and had wavy pink hair tied back in a ponytail and two wavy bangs at the side. She was wearing a dark short victorian-style dress with a ruffled neckline, black stockings and long, slender brown boots.

"Careful, this girl's a mini powerhouse. Started learning magic at the age of four." Ultear said proudly, with her arms on her hips.

"Wow, I only discovered mine at the age of eleven. Nice to meet you, Meredy."

Meredy walked over and shook Erza's hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. I'm in my last year Grandeeny Middle School."

"Oh! Some of my younger friends are in their last year there too!" Erza was excited.

"By any chance, are some of them Juvia and Lucy?"

"Yeah! Looks like we should get to know each other too!"

* * *

As they walk to Ultear's home, Erza asks a question.

"Hey, Ultear, with an outfit like that, won't any guys from high school try to hit on your sister?"

"I wouldn't worry about her. She'll beat the crap out of them, anyway."

"How?"

"She'll show you. Meredy, you know what to do."

"Uh huh," Meredy activated her magic and a glowing pink bracelet formed on her wrist. "Lost Magic: Maguilty Sense."

Jellal turned around. "Wait, what? Oh c-" Before Jellal could finish, a pink bracelet formed on his wrist as well and Meredy took out a huge bunch of hot peppers. And then... started to eat them?

By the time Meredy finished half the peppers, Jellal has passed out on the ground, and Meredy puts the peppers away, smacking her lips. "I don't have to cast the sense link on myself, but it's easier this way. I guess I have a high tolerance for spicy stuff. Too bad Je' doesn't, huh Ul."

"Definitely and obviously," Ultear pat her sister's head. "I hope you don't regret asking, Erza."

Erza sighed. She picked Jellal up and put him on her back. He was out cold. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

"Je', sorry about earlier," Meredy said, with a sorry look on her face. "I'll do it on someone else other than you next time."

Jellal had his head on the table, still enduring a headache. His sorry state made Meredy feel guilty, for once. "It's okay," He blue-haired teenager shrugged. "It's my fault for having such low tolerance for hot chili peppers. It seems like my headache has cleared up a bit. I'm going to go train for tomorrow's test."

"Erza and Ul are already outside waiting for you. Can I watch you guys train?"

Jellal nodded and got up. "Sure, why not?" Jellal had only known Meredy for one and a half years, but he treats her as if she was his younger sister. An evil, manipulative, yet innocent younger sister. A lot like what Ultear is like sometimes. "Come."

* * *

Erza sees the two come out and greets them. "Ah, you're awake. What should we get started on, then?"

"I think we should go down to the training grounds first." Jellal replied, kneeling down to tie his shoe.

"Training grounds?"

Ultear spoke up. "Yeah, I created a training ground under our house three years ago with my Magic. I use Arc of Time magic, after all. Therefore, I can revert any nonliving thing back to the past, towards any future I want, and create numerous parallel worlds to duplicate objects." She said proudly.

"Wow, that magic must be difficult to use!" Erza was amazed with Ultear's power.

"I'm not in Advanced Class for no reason, you know," Ultear said plainly. "Okay, let's get this show on the road!"

In moments, the ground under the teenagers trembled and shook, until the ground opened up to reveal a gigantic staircase. The quartet of mages walked down the stairs, and the training ground was becoming more visible. The arrived in a large, flat, open area, and he stairs disappeared.

"Probably to keep out intruders," Erza thought. She analyzed her surroundings. The area looked almost digital, with the ground and the walls all colored light blue. She watched as Ultear walked away from the group, used her magic to create a balcony and created a chair for her to sit in. "Wow, she even gave the chair and balcony great detail." Erza said, in awe.

"Yeah, Ultear likes to do stuff like that. She prefers sprucing things up compared to destroying," He chuckled. "She doesn't make stuff of worth unless you pay her a fair amount, but she usually makes an exception it's for someone that's close to her. As long as it isn't illegal."

"Okay, okay, you lovebirds," Erza and Jellal both blushed at the time mage's words. "Let me explain. This area is made of all the safe elements, solidified and modified by me so that only I can tell the difference at first glance. This allows me to create an infinite amount of different things. Therefore, I can create an ideal environment for different fields of physical and mental training. After you're done with one, I can revert the area back to its original state, or create a new environment. You can also bring a maximum of five people here at a time, as long as you know that they can be trusted and you have my permission. And finally..."

Erza unconsciously leaned her head closer to Ultear's location out of curiosity. What was it? This place was amazing enough.

"The restrooms are in the far left over there, and a snack/break room is ten meters right from it. We have sugary desserts, continental breakfast, and several other lunches and dinners."

"All right!" Erza was already overjoyed when Ultear got to 'sugary desserts'.

"How about we do defense first?" Jellal suggested. Erza nodded.

"Okay." Ultear didn't alter the field much, but Erza and Jellal noticed that cannons were forming on the ceiling and on the wall. "They will all aim in the same place, but you must only go in one direction only, which is against the cannons' blasts, in order to get to your goal, the two sapphires at the end of the route. To bring out your limits, I've disabled your magic to a certain degree, so that you're only able to use a basic barrier as defense. You two will be separated into two sections that will eventually meet at the destination. You have ten seconds to prepare mentally." A large speaker appeared on each corner of the area.

10.

"Okay."

9.

"We can do this."

8.

"Easy."

7.

6.

5.

Walls emerge out of the ground, forming a zigzag route and separating the two freshmen.

2.

1.

"GO!" Ultear shouted. Purple beams immediately came out of all the cannons and dashed towards Erza and Jellal, who both put up a barrier in front of them. The began to walk forward, following their route. "You two have 30 seconds."

"Damn it... the beams are getting stronger by the second," Erza grunted, proceeding to push forward. She knew she could do better than this. Ultear was probably only warming them up. She was strong, even if she was only using such a basic spell. She had to prove her strength, just like she did eight years ago with a certain blue-haired boy.

"Hum, looks like Jellal's in the lead by about fifty centimeters," Ultear said as she watched the two, smiling to herself. "Those two would make a great couple, huh, Meredy?" She said quietly.

"Yeah. By the way, is it okay if Juvia comes over tomorrow?"

"Of course, Meredy. You don't always have to ask me, you know." The Time Mage smiled sweetly at her sibling. Though she wouldn't admit it, she loved it when Meredy acted so modest about things.

A bell rang. "Hey Ul! We're both done!" said Jellal, waving one of the sapphires in his hand.

"Good, good. Now, why don't you two go train freely now? As a second year student, I have responsibilities to complete for tomorrow. Here, I'll set up a field for you,". Ultear rose both her arms, and the entire area returned into a marine environment. "Heh. You like? I'll be going now. Meredy, you can stay and watch. I'll call all of you when you need to come out. Okay?" With that, Ultear slowly climbed up the staircase that was materializing in front of her.

* * *

Mirajane looked around. She was buying groceries in the market for her siblings' and her own lunch tomorrow. The sky was getting darker, so she decided to get going to make it back in time to make dinner, because of course, a "man" had to eat plenty of food. She tried her best to cover up her giggle, and went to purchase some tomatoes before leaving. "Well, I must be going." Mira bowed respectfully to the farmer who grew the ripe veggies that were now in her basket.

"Hope to see you again, miss Mirajane!"

As she boarded the bus, she remembered. "Ah the test tomorrow. Better go train." this time she voluntarily released her magic, and a grin formed of her face. Several others seemed intimidated by Mirajane's sudden change of aura, but she took it back, relaxing most passengers.

"Ah, the reactions are always priceless." she thought, smiling angelically.

* * *

"Well, we're done. Ultear! Can we come back up?" called Jellal. Erza had no idea how Ultear could hear Jellal's message, but to her shock, stairs began to appear out of thin air and the field returned to its original appearance.

"Come on up, you three. It's already six o'clock." Ultear said, using a speaker that she created.

The three mages began to walk up the staircase, with Jellal taking the lead. Erza looked his way. Still the same old friendly Jellal she knew. A bit more easy-going and open to others, she noted. He sure had found nice people to live with. Strange, but nice.

She walked to the top of the staircase, and saw Ultear waiting for them, holding a spatula. "It's nice to try and cook without magic. A lot harder, though," she said, waving the spatula in with her hand. "Since you're here, why don't you stay for dinner? I'll make dessert," she asked. Erza nodded. There was a delicious aroma wafting from the spatula. "Also, Jellal, we're out of celery. Go get some. Now." In seconds Jellal was out of the house. Ultear could be quite frightening. "Erza, you don't mind if you help me set the table, right? You just get the utensils."

"Okay!"

Ten minutes later, food was on the table, with Erza and Ultear chatting. "Now, Erza, I'll get to the real reason why I asked you to stay. I want you, me, and Jellal to form a team, like people usually do, for Fairy High's end of the school year battle royale. Forming a team is optional, but you're only allowed to ally with two people. I can do fine by myself, though, and you have all the time you need to decide teams before that day. By the way, everyone has to participate."

End of the year Battle royale? Fairy High was a really strange place indeed. "What's the point of it?"

Ultear looked at Erza and gave her an amused look. "Just for the heck of it."

"Oh god..." Erza had confidence to do well during the battle, but having one just for the 'heck of it' was out of the question. Still, she doesn't have a choice.

"We should have a group name. How about..." The time Mage thought hard, eventually taking out a notebook a scribbling out all her ideas, which apparently, were all crossed out five seconds after it was written. "Garbage. Garbage. No, no, no and no. Well; I'm fresh out."

"How about Crime Sorciére? Is that okay?" Erza suggested.

"Yeah... it's got a snazzy ring to it."

"Maybe we should let Jellal hear it first before we keep that as our name."

"Nah. I just want to deal with two people less during the battle. Your two are tough and will get tougher. I know it."

* * *

"Bye Ultear, Meredy, Jellal for the dinner!" Erza said as she ran to the sidewalk, catching a late-night bus to take her back home. The remaining trio of mages waved back, with Meredy asking for her to visit occasionally.

As Erza's ride disappeared from sight, Meredy tapped Jellal on the shoulder. "You like her, don't you?"

"I'm not good enough for her."

"So... That's a yes, then?"

"..."

"It's a yes, Meredy. It's a yes."

* * *

**So, like chapter one? Remember, critism to my writing is always welcome and be sure to tell be of there is a typo or a minor grammar error, because like everybody else could, I make mistakes that I miss, and I go fix it as soon as I can manage.**

**I'm really considering expanding this. To me, it's a bit short. Well, I plan on introducing more characters next chapter. Awesome characters. Thanks for reading. ^_^**


	2. Trial Day Part I

**First of all, I'd like to thank all the people who have reviewed, followed, the story or added this story to favorites, it's a real determination booster! :)**

** Sorry for taking a while, I kinda goofed off. Still, it's longer than the last chapter. I'm starting this off by introducing two new major characters. Enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

The second day had started, and the school halls were swarmed with students, going here and there, though they had no designated class yet. Today was the day where they would be tested, and for most, it would be impossible not to get a little bit nervous. Right now, some people just mingled with others, socializing, chatting, all those things. Everyone was talking to someone else. But there was no place where everyone would always behave.

That person that was 'out of it' just happened to be walking down the main hallway, with a scowl plastered on his face, though not directing his glare at anyone in particular. He certainly didn't seem like a happy individual, and many people assumed that this guy was the silent-angry type, who no one would bother befriending. The large scar sealing his left eye shut, the maroon hair, not to mention the long white jacket and and the rest of his peculiar yet casual outfit just made it worse. Not that he gave a damn. He could hear what they were thinking, the males - the second-year Trimens group to be exact - was shooting glares at him, though they seemed to be trying their best their best to look like nothing was wrong. But he could hear their thoughts, and the three womanizers were enraged on how the 'freshman' could be 'competition'.

The females, on the other hand, were swooning at the sight of him. He never cared before; what all those spoiled girls had for him was pure lust. They had no idea what he was like, or what he could do when he was angry. And sure enough, being able to hear, whether he wanted to or not, all the girls' insane, dirty thoughts, and the males' unnecessary fits were driving him nuts already. He let out a silent sigh. Just like middle school. He made a mental note to bring a case of earplugs with him wherever he went starting tomorrow.

Still, strolling quietly across the hall to get to somewhere else and be alone in peace, he lost focus and bumped into someone, and heard several objects fall to the ground with a thud. He looked at the person whom he had collided with, and as it turned out, it was a purple-haired, large busted female wearing a green dress. She looked up to see his face, and then knelt down to pick up the things she had dropped - which was a large stack of books.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you." The she said. He could tell the sincerity in her voice, and his face noticeably softened. She wasn't thinking anything dirty about him, she was just scolding herself for being a klutz. He knelt down as well, helping the girl stack the books. There was at least twenty thick books dropped, and he was quite surprised that the girl managed to carry so many.

"Do you need any help?" Did he just offer help? That never happened before. The girl looked at him for several moments, then nodded. He could hear her thoughts perfectly well, and she was skeptical whether he was just helping to be kind or just hitting on her, which she, according to her thoughts, was sick of. "Alright," He divided the books into two piles and took one pile. "Where are these going?"

"Room 143." she said, still conflicted over what purpose her helper was after. Out of nowhere, Ren, one of the Trimens, came and complimented the girl.

"Hey Kinana, nice chest as usual!" Ren said, and dashed out of the hallway as quickly as possible. The girl - now called Kinana - was visibly upset and her fist clenched and unclenched.

"Hey, you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just fine." Kinana muttered, grabbed the other stack of books and started to walk. He followed. "Say, what's your name?"

He looked at her. She seemed complete unfazed by what had happened earlier, though she was upset before. Kinana obviously didn't like the 'flattery' the men gave her. Other girls would kill for such compliments. If they were even compliments at all. "Cobra. No last name."

"Kinana. No last name." They went inside room 143, which was already littered with books. In the middle of the room, sat Crux, the intelligence first year teacher. Crux smiled at Kinana, and gestured at an empty space for the two to put the books down, which, without a doubt, they did. "Thank you for your assistance, Cobra."

Cobra nodded at her and left the room. Something seemed, familiar about her to him. Like an old friend. But there was no way. She was killed years ago back in their childhood. If you could even have called what he had been through as a child a childhood. He had to forget about what happened before. Was this really what mourning death felt like? If it was, he doesn't like it.

The combat trial was in twenty minutes, and despite the fact that Cobra was unenthusiastic about nearly anything, but he didn't want to be called weak or dimwitted. Plus, he would be in that class for the whole year.

"Gyaaah! I going to be late! Late!" Erza Scarlet knew that she wasn't late, but something in her gut told her that she was. She didn't bother to do anything about it - it was a fantastic motivator. She was so weird. Still, she was incredibly nervous for what was to come today, and looked at the sheet she obtained from Virgo the day before. Combat trial was first, and her tag partner was none other than Jellal Fernandes for combat, defense and speed. "Come on, me! Hurry!"

Erza ran at Mach one and took swift turns, until she finally arrives at the school doors. The corridors and hallways were already infested with people, and eventually the redhead lost her patience and pushed her way through to get to where the combat trials were - outside the south side of the school. She looked at her watch. Fifteen minutes left, and a hundred people where tested at that period as well. Erza was pretty lucky to get the combat trial as her first period for today, since she had more energy and she didn't feel like taking that test for intelligence until after lunch. She wanted to get there faster, sit down and maybe try to calm herself down a little. Soon, she got to the south side. To her surprise, there was a finely-carpeted staircase that led underground. She walked down, and saw a huge, rocky terrain. On the ceiling, however, was a huge, transparent sphere with a desk and three chairs. On one of the said chairs, Ultear spoke up from a microphone.

"Do you like it, Erza? I made the whole thing. You sit over there. Your seat is number 127, right side." Ultear gestured at another huge set of stairs, directing her up to a large set of seats. Erza found hers and sat down. Real comfy, she had to admit. "No one else is here yet. Usually start pouring in by five minutes." Ultear said.

Turns out, she was right. By then, the students were flying in like it was free everything day. Jellal arrived too, and took a seat next to Erza. Mira came and sat to her right, smiling sweetly as usual. Erza looked up; seeing that Mavis Vermilion and Principle Makarov were now sitting at the formerly empty two chairs inside the dome. Along with Ultear. Virgo, along with several other instructors, came and hushed the chatter, and then proceeded to leave. Ultear rose from her seat and spoke. Her voice was automatically amplified.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. This is the field used for testing combat. Mavis, Makarov and I are the judges. In case some of you have forgotten, the intelligence tests are east, defense is west, and speed is on the north side. People will go one by one. Each of them have a minute. Tag teams have double the time to complete he task. We will work in alphabetical order, starting with the ones taking the trial alone."

One by one? That's going to take an awful long time, but Erza could watch the 'performances'.

"First off, Angel."

A white-haired girl walked up, and took a small bag from her belt. Two ogres were released. "Gate of the Chisel, I open thee." A robotic machine appeared out of thin air. Angel grabbed ahold of it, and it morphed into a sword that steadily wrapped itself around her wrist. With a few swings and lasers, both ogres where down.

An announcer spoke. "Ten point five seconds." Jellal and Erza both looked up. All three of the judges seemed to be satisfied with Angel's skill, and madly scribbled down notes for a few moments before moving on to the next person.

"Cana Alberona." A immodestly dressed teen came on stage, stumbling a bit before reaching the stage. Her time was thirteen point eight seconds, and she used card magic.

"Sherry Blendy." A pale teenager with dark, pink hair stood. This time, there were two mutant chickens. Strange.

"Doll Play Attack; Steel Doll." Sherry moved her hands in a slow fashion; as if she was controlling a marionette. Jellal noted that this magic seemed rather dark considering her bright appearance, though Erza told him that it didn't seem like Sherry was in the best mood ever. The steel bent on its own until it became nearly human in terms of form, albeit made of the steel from the stage, and the thing had sharp spikes all over.

The human-steel thing charged at the two chickens and killed them both. Gruesomely. Honestly, Sherry had pink hair and a cheerful outfit but she didn't act like what her outfit looked like. "This will happen to anyone who bothers groping me in the worst possible spot! Hear me?!"

Oh. Well, that explains it.

The announcer spoke. "Eighteen point three seconds."

With a bit of discussion from the dome, Ultear restored the stage with a few waves of her hand and kept going.

After a while, the got through the B names. Fifteen minutes, to be exact.

"Cobra." a tanned, frowning teenager came to the stage. He sighed, and waited. This time, at least a hundred of dog-sized came out from all places around the stage. They looked fierce, but they were too small to do major damage. However, like piranhas, they'd most likely rip you to shreds when in a big group.

Cobra just sighed, and raised his left arm, forming a magic seal. "Poison Dragon's Scales." A barrage or poisonous scales shot out of the seal, eliminating the dog creatures. All of them were gone before you blinked twice.

"Five point zero seconds." The announcer said. The judges exchanged a few whispers, with Mavis looking very impressed with the performance. Cobra, knowing he was done, walked off the stage and left the arena.

* * *

"Elfman Strauss." Mirajane smiled for her brother. He was giving his 'Man, man, I'm a man look'. Mirajane's smile faltered a bit at its sight. Erza patted her on the back.

Elfman went into Beast Soul Mode, smashing everything in a fifty-meter radius. Mirajane wanted to face palm. Yes, what a man, indeed.

"Twenty four point seven seconds."

Elfman left the stage, and Mirajane, knowing that she was next, asked that Erza watch over he belongings. Not too complicated, just a small, black bag with a metallic chain.

"Mirajane Strauss." Elfman, Erza, and (not surprisingly, after seeing her figure) the Trimens cheered loudly. Mira, as usual, smiled. The smile was starting to get scary.

Mirajane had a very special opponent. Just one, really gruesome thing. Only way to describe it. Mira smiled. The monster, over twenty feet tall, let out a ridiculously huge roar, as Mira quickly used her magic. She was surrounded by a dark and satanic aura, enveloping her, until a demon version of Mirajane came out, grinning. Jellal had heard of this before, and informed Erza.

"Satan Soul. An extremely advanced take over magic." Jellal said, as Erza watched her friend clawed the beast, defeating it. The take over was masterful, and the power was amazing.

"Five point nine seconds," Just a bit less that Cobra's. It made sense, take over consumed a tiny bit more time. Mirajane was one heck of a friend. Whilst Mira came back up to her seat, Erza handed her bag to her.

"Next up is Yuka Suzuki." A person with large, prominent eyebrows and blue hair.

The challenge looked rather simple, and Yuka simply used a spell called 'wave bullet' to exterminate what stood in his way. However, it seemed that he wasn't the most skilled in offense, and finishing them all off took a full thirty-eight seconds.

After a few more students, came Lyon Vastia, a dynamic ice-make mage. He easily finished with nine point seven seconds, using elegantly crafted eagles made of ice that could fly on their own, spearing the opponent with their sharp beaks. He smiled in satisfaction, and walked back to his seat.

* * *

Soon, Erza and Jellal had been called up. Whatever they had to fight it wasn't going to be that easy for them. They went on to the stage, and Erza had been twiddling her thumbs the whole way there.

The test began, and, as the two had expected, they didn't make it easy. The creation in front of him way definitely the work of the mastermind Ultear. A gigantic robot dragon. The two only needed a small moment to recover, and activated their magic.

"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!" Erza's outfit changed into a complicatedly arranged silver armor, surrounded by at least fifty weapons, along with two swords held in her hands. She charged at the dragon, firing her weapons without having to even touch them and attempting to find a weak spot for her to slice. She managed to dent the plates.

Jellal activated his Magic, Heavenly Body Magic, and his body began to glow from its effects. Silently activating the Meteor spell, he damaged the stomach of the machine.

Backing up, he examined the contraption along with Erza, until he finally got it. Ultear, when building machines, always put the motor inside the main body. However, she would scatter it into several different places inside the main body so the motor could not stop working so easily. They were all linked, and one would immediately reboot the other of one is destroyed. If he remembered, there was four mini-motors he could feel when attacking. Therefore, they had to destroy all four simultaneously. That was difficult, since they were in different spots. Quickly explaining this to Erza, she went to forcefully jam her two swords into the hinges of the dragon's hind legs, while Jellal destroyed the two front legs at the same time.

The machine fell to the ground, broken. That was... Surprisingly simple enough. They had taken twenty seconds; impressively fast for a tag team. Above, Ultear was happy for the two as she watched them high-five, yet she was upset that they had destroyed her 'wonderful' creation. She would have to look over her blueprint and carefully piece it back together, even if she was a time mage. Oh well.

After that, there were a few mote tags teams, the most notable one being Bisca Mulan and Alzack Conell, who just gunned everything down in forty seconds.

Because the trials each usually took less than a minute for each person, they had around half an hour of nothing to do. The students were escorted out of the arena. Erza and Jellal were told by Mavis that they had the defense trials next, which was held in the west-side trial arena. Erza congratulated Jellal for hatching up a plan so quickly to stop the machine, and asked him how he pulled it off.

"Simple, really. Ultear always crafts her machines in an unique way; by spreading the motor's parts across the main body and linking them. Living in the same house as she does has its advantages, you know."

"I see," Erza said, looking up at the blue sky above them. "Impressive. You know, I think we should just get to the west side first so we can rest there."

"Good idea, Erza. Let's go." Jellal stood, gesturing Erza to rise. She complied, and the two walked all the way to the west side. This time, the area was barren, but the seats the wrapped around it were virtually identical to the ones at the combat arena at the south side. Same sphere at the ceiling, as well, exept the judges this time was Aries, Libra, and the student-guest/judge of honor, Makarov's grandson, Laxus, sitting inside, snacking and reading their notes. There was still fourteen minutes left, so Erza and Jellal killed their time making card houses (because Jellal just happened to conveniently have a deck of cards in his pocket) on the chairs. Erza managed to get hers about two feet tall before it collapsed under its own weight. She comically deflated in misery. What made her envious was that Jellal's probably wouldn't fall even if she got it to lean like the Tower of Pisa. Though, now that she thought about it, Jellal always enjoyed playing with cards back when they were little, and he always made new games and eagerly taught them to others. They always wanted to learn the games, since they were always wonderfully plotted out. That was back when they were eight years old, when he first got his hand on an old, used deck just lying on the ground. It probably became a habit for him to carry cards.

"So Erza, what do you think?" The redhead simply gaped. "Erza?"

The tower, though just made with a single deck, was wonderfully tall and fashioned. Some cards were vertically bent, but stayed perfectly in place. It seemed impossible for what was in front of her to work unless Jellal had some superglue with him as well. "It-It's nice."

The caster mage raised an eyebrow at his friend, seeing the disbelief in her eyes. "Thanks. This is from lots of practice and several wasted hours in the basement."

"Wow. You've got to teach me a few tricks."

"Sure."

* * *

It was time for the trial to start, so Laxus began. "Welcome to the defense trials. Like the others, we will work our way through individual students and then tag teams."

The individual performances went by quickly. A few notable ones was Kagura Mikazuchi, who used a special sword named archenemy, and employed the blade's properties masterfully while it was still unsheathed. One named Vijeeter Ecor did not do the greatest job, but his performance was most enjoyable to watch. He had endured and defended himself from attacks via the Puny Dance, which, somehow, has some sort of magic function. Another one with comical methods was someone named War Cry, who kept screaming 'wild' the whole time and used his tears that he could produce on command to form a shield.

As the tag team trial began, one of the first to go was Freed Justine and his tag partner, Bixslow. The Bixslow fellow did not do anything, as the defense runes Freed had employed around them did all the work. A tag team composed of Laki Oiletta and Jenny Realight also preformed, with Laki using a wooden shields and Jenny using transformation magic.

Jellal and Erza did very good as well, managing to finish in around half a minute. Against several hi-tech electric cannons, probably charged by Laxus. Erza's Adamantine Armor and Jellal's Heaven Palm, though usually not used as defensive magic, pushed the electricity back and did the trick.

* * *

The intelligence test was next after lunch, but they had some time before they could eat. Jellal had decided to dash home and do a few things that he had forgotten to do, which left Erza eating with Mirajane. The two girls got acquainted with Cana Alberona, who, though not at first sight, was kind and mature, but Mirajane commented that she is a bit too laid back, which probably got in the way of getting a high position as a mage.

Erza complimented Mira's skills, earning a thanks and a 'you too' from her white-haired friend.

"Say, Mira, have you made allies with anyone for the battle royale at the end of the year?" Asked the redheaded requip mage.

"I obviously have Elfman on my side, so I only have one more person to pick. Maybe a second year, or something."

"I've already teamed up with Jellal and Ultear. We even have a team name. Crime Sorcière."

"French for Witch Crime (A/N: Some sites translate it to Crime Witch or Witches' Sin, but Witch Crime seems to make the most sense when it comes to translating the French)? Pretty good. A pity though, I considered you on my team. I want to call the team 'Souls of Demons'. Does that sound okay."

"Actually, it does. Fits your magic scheme very well. How about Freed? He's got good magic skills."

"He already teamed up with Bixslow and Evergreen. The three of them idolize Laxus very much, so they decided to call themselves the Thunder God Tribe. I've been thinking about having Kagura on my team, but she seems to have already made allies. Maybe Racer, that second year here. Or maybe not."

"You've got all year, you know." Erza said, while taking a pear out of her bag and munching on it.

"I should do it before, so there are more options. I can't just have someone strong, but cooperative. Angel's isn't going to team up with me, due to the name of my team. Cobra wouldn't bother with anyone." Mirajane replied, eating some dried fruit.

"How about Cana?"

"I'm considering having Cana on my team. She's strong. Immodest, though."

Seeing the time, ten minutes before the intelligence exam, Mirajane waved to Erza and ran off. Deciding to get going as well, Erza sped off to the east side of the school in advance so she could mentally prepare herself for the intelligence exam. She had no idea what the test would ask them to do, but she knew it was a multiple question test, so that simplifies things by a lot.

* * *

East area was more like a lit auditorium, the intelligence test area. Each seat was equipped with a fold-in desk, that could retract and expand by about ten inches, a pencil, scrap paper, and an eraser. There were no judges this time, only Crux and Shagotte, probably there to supervise the area, who were stacking completed test papers. Erza chose a random seat and say down. Looking at the notepad she got and her other two utilities.

Soon, the test had began and the tests floated to them through some form of magic. It was approximately seven pages long. Writing her mane down, she flipped to the first page. The first question read;

Use the information below to answer question one to two.  
Four hundred years ago, dragons ruled and controlled the humans. However, one human trained dragon slayer magic began to slaughter them, and was turned into a dragon, who then began to massacre the majority of the dragon population back then and became the king of dragons.

1. The name of the king of dragons that was once human is:  
a) Igneel  
b) Zealconis  
c) Acnolglia  
d) Grandeeney (A/N: Grandine.)  
Erza grit her teeth. She didn't study history that much. However, she had heard about this before. Erza colored in the 'c'.

2. The person who turned said human into the king of dragons is:  
a) Zeref  
b) Purehito  
c) Zero  
d) This was never recorded  
Zeref, duh. Who else would turn a human into a dragon (or even had the power to)? Erza moved on.

3. The parent magic for the spell Evil Spark is:  
a) Darkness Magic  
b) Lightning Magic  
c) Unclassified  
d) Black Arts  
Tricky, but it was lightning magic.

4. The side effect of overusing Great Tree Arc magic is:  
a) Death  
b) The user becomes a tree him/her self.  
c) None  
d) Exhaustion  
They can't expect people to know all the answers, Erza thought to herself. She colors 'c'.

5. Lost Magic, very rare nearly from the start of history can be used and learned to become closer to accessing;  
a) God Slayer Magic  
b) There is nothing to access  
c) The spell Nemesis from the forbidden book of The Black Wizard , Vol. 4, Verse 20  
d) The one magic, the now nearly unknown powerful first source of magic that all magic today has derived from.  
Welp, the test was getting harder. Erza thought. Yes. The rarest, most powerful Lost magic, on nearly impossible occasions, could derive directly from the first source. Erza colors 'd'. Damn it. It was only question five.

The next question, question six, showed a chart. There were four dots scattered around said chart, one marked a, and the remaining b, c, and d. On the bottom right, was a small drawing of a human-like figure holding a whip. Below 'd' at the top-left side of the chart, stood another figure. The question read:

6. According to the chart above, these two are battling. The one carrying to magic whip has a chance for inflicting a blow. The magic whip is two and a half meters long, or one centimeter in the chart. Which is the best position to attack?  
a) a  
b) b  
c) c  
d) d  
Erza knew that the math had nothing to do with it. Sure she could calculate, but her knowledge of battle was better than this. As she could see, the opponent was facing the border of the chart, leaving his back exposed. The letter 'a' was half a centimeter from his back. Therefore, from 'a', the magic whip user would still have a one-point twenty five meters left of whip that could be used to land a critical blow to the neck, an important weak spot, by either using the whip to slash the neck or entangle it. Many people would choose 'd', Erza figured, but it would be a bad answer as he opponent would notice and counteract. Erza colored 'a'. Whoever made this test was clever, this questions can make students answer the question wrongly.

* * *

"Okay students, put everything down and the test will be taken away. If you have already handed them in, you may leave to our next trial."

Erza got up and left he auditorium. She had finished twelve minutes earlier, and she was glad for that, noticing a decent amount of people didn't complete the test, even though they were given two full hours without any disturbances. Walking to the north side for speed trial, she spotted someone whose aura made her skin freeze. Lurana.

"I see that Jellal has taken a liking for you, red head," The jealous silver-haired mage dryly said. "It won't last long," she continued, beginning to walk away. "Not while I'm here, wench."

"…" Erza was silent and taken aback. She had never done that much to make her jealous. She was Jellal's friend, that was the truth, but was it enough to make Lurana want to obliterate her? By now, the girl was gone, off to another trial. "Oh well. I'll just ignore it."

Reached the trial area at the north, which, not surprisingly, was a large track field. Instead of a large ceiling dome, the judges, Aquarius, Leo, and the advanced student, and Rufus Lohr, famous for his 17th century style clothing he always wears, all sitting in a classic car-race spokesman format at the side of the track. The area was ground level, bathed in bright, cheery sunlight, and the scenery was wonderful. People came pouring in and sat on the seat just like at a sports game. Mira soon came and joined her along with Elfman, both of them also coming out of the intelligence exam. Jellal came and sat next to her too.

"So, Jellal, how was the intelligence exam?" Erza asked, curious.

"Peculiar, but most of the questions should be answered well enough if you came to school with a functioning brain."

"I guess so. What about you, Mira, Elfman?"

"Th-that test w-was not m-manly..." Elfman seemed like he was going to burst from brain overload. Mira chuckled and pat Elfman gently on his shoulder. "As a man, I will not do that again. Man..." Mira's face went stale upon hearing 'man' three times from him. It must be annoying.

"The test was fine. The Evil Spark question was one of the easiest since I can actually use that spell," She made a small, dark blue spark of electricity in her hand. "This is a mini version of it," Smaller sparks from the already tiny spark fizzed out of it, landing on the ground and bouncing like fireworks before extinguishing themselves. One managed to burn he platform before going out. "It's a simple spell, so it's okay if I use it without Satan Soul."

The speed trial began, and Rufus stood up, holding his hat firmly in place so it didn't tip. "Welcome to the speed trials, the final trial for you group of students. Unlike the others who work their way through in alphabetical order as normal, we go at random with the individuals performing first, four at a time on the track. Three and a half minutes for individuals, and as many laps as possible. Tag teams have to run for a minute more, and they may help one another out to get the highest number possible."

A girl by the name Millianna, dressed in a way to impersonate a cat, accelerated herself by using her Kitty Restraint Tubes magic. An odd magic to use indeed, bit it seemed to work very well, as she finished with thirty laps. Cobra also made another appearance, dodging attacks and reaching the destination without using any spell. Just running, finishing at forty-seven laps. Simply remarkable; not using any spell, just using magic alone as energy, was sure to impress. Probably a strategy.

A very portly person named Droy took the longest: three laps, mostly because his advanced weight was stopping him from going faster. The one next to him, however, named Jet, was going at light speed using his High Speed Magic, or better known as God Leg Magic, making his name a pun as it represents his abilities, finishing with forty laps.

Soon, Mira and Elfman had gone as well, with Elfman lagging a bit since he is better made for attack and defense, successfully finishing with twenty laps. Mira just sped through, managing to get fifty-three laps, though she was noticeably drained of magic and panting on her way back up the platform. Avoiding traps and trying to go as fast as possible was no easy feat, after all.

Angel was seen again, using some form of speed magic instead of her Celestial Magic, letting her finish with thirty-two laps. She seemed satisfied with her result, but not very happy.

After some time, Erza and Jellal, now officially dubbed 'Azure & Scarlet' by the Strauss siblings, went to the track. Jellal activated his Meteor spell, while Erza requipped into her flight armor. They started to dash for their lives, the wind blowing madly in their faces. Erza spotted lasers coming their way and subsequently avoided them. Noticing, Jellal avoided his as well, while also finding several ditches in the middle of their route, signaling Erza and both of them quickly jumped over it. Somehow, the ditches did not exist until they had started their trial.

"Use more of your magic! Our whole school year counts on this!" Erza said, giving the effort of letting out more magic. Successful, Erza's Flight Armor and herself got faster. Jellal soon caught up, having sped up his Meteor Spell. They had thirty seconds left, and they were at forty laps. They had slowed down, which was the main reason why Erza told her blue-haired friend to go faster. Both of their legs ached, but they kept going, having gotten to forty-six laps and ten seconds left. Both let out a huge amount of the rest of their magic, accelerating them drastically, letting them finish at sixty laps, to tired to go any faster.

* * *

"You guys did really good," Mira said, as the last of the tag teams finished their speed trial and she was getting ready to leave. "Great teamwork, too."

"If you say so, Mira." The redhead replied.

Erza didn't want to admit it, but she was at least a tad nervous about the results. She had to take high school seriously, as it would count for the rest of her life.

* * *

**So, you guys like it? I hope you do. I'm still kinda new to this fan-fiction stuff, but I'm getting a hang of it. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Trial Day Part II

**Oh my god, I'm really sorry on how late I am. One thing came after another, and I couldn't find the time to write. Heck, I'm typing these very words at... *looks at clock* ...one in the morning ._. So yeah, sorry if this chapter a bit brief. :P Thanks for all the reviews, it's appreciated. This chapter is only about 3 00 words D: Let's just say this is an extra of some sort. **

**Fairy Tail is not mine, and happy reading.**

* * *

After the second day of school was over, Erza had Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy invite Mirajane over to dinner, so they could get acquainted with each other. Plus, Erza was getting nervous over thinking about what today's tests results would bring for her this year and the rest of her life, stressed about it, even. Being around others, though her social awkwardness could make things weird, would probably calm her down.

"Erza-chan, you're spacing out again," Meredy said, nudging her playfully. As of last night, Meredy began to address Erza as 'Erza-chan', having gained a good amount of respect for her after seeing her training along with Jellal in Ultear's training grounds, and had even asked her to teach her a bit of basic requip. The redheaded mage was indeed flattered, and immediately said yes.

Jellal had told her that Meredy can be very manipulative and cunning, much like her older sister, though they are not blood-related in the slightest. Erza had to admit that was true, but the pinkette was very innocent in some ways.

"Erza-chan? Hello?" Meredy tilted her head to see if Erza was paying any attention. Sure enough, she wasn't, aroused in her own thoughts. Whatever they were, she seemed happy thinking about them.

"Let her contemplate, Meredy. She doesn't seem to want and disturbances right now," Ultear piped up, adjusting the black school bag on shoulder calmly. Ultear's demeanor hadn't changed since the day before, not even stressed over having so many students to grade in one night. Mira had offered to make dinner, followed by Jellal and Erza, so that he second year student had more time for what was more important. Ultear agreed, though she didn't want to accept help from them. Eventually, they managed to persuade her into taking a little break.

"Erza's a strange one, isn't she?" Mirajane stated, looking at her redheaded friend.

"Tell me about it," Ultear said. "She's got potential. Also, Mira, Erza, Jellal, you're going to be in for a good surprise for tomorrow's results. I've already graded your offense exams," she said, smiling, "and you'll be glad to hear that you did exceptionally well."

"How do we get our results?" Erza asked. The conversation had snapped her into back reality.

"They will be placed on the billboards inside the school for all to see," Ultear replied. Erza detected a slight hint of sadism from her eyes. "All to see," she repeated slowly, "and a couple students should mentally prepare for humiliation. They don't just show what you class you're in, but your test percentages as well," she finished, giggling.

"I don't remember hearing anything about this," Jellal said. "Was this added at the last minute?"

"As a matter of fact, it was, Jellal," she replied. "I had convinced principal Makarov and and superintendent Mavis that we could do that for "motivation", you know? Well, they knew what I actually wanted, but they agreed to do it," Ultear laughed. "Oh, we're almost there. Right down the block."

* * *

Soon, they were inside Ultear's home. Meredy went into her room to do her homework, and Ultear went into hers to to give marks for the trials that happened today. Jellal had disappeared somewhere within the house, and told Erza he had to "fix some cords around the house". Before Erza could ask why Ultear couldn't do it with the snap of her fingers, he was gone. Now, Mira and Erza were chatting in the kitchen.

"Huh? Training grounds?"

"Yeah, Mira! Ultear showed them to me yesterday! It's amazing, really!"

"I'd like to see it now, but I have to prepare dinner!" Mira said, making a fist-pump of determination. "I think Ultear told me that she left a list of things to cook on the counter," she said, while standing up to get it. "Ah, here it is," Mira mumbled as she picked up a yellow sticky note labeled "Today's Dinner".

"What's it say?" Erza said, curious.

"Let's see; Uh, it says roast chicken, two bowls of Caesar salad, boiled lettus, and some crab sushi. What a strange assortment of food."

"Ultear has a strange taste for food," said a voice. Erza turned around. It was Jellal, who was finished "fixing some cords".

"Oh good, you're here, so we can get started," Erza gestured for him to come over. Jellal complied. "But," she started, "Why did you say you had to fix some cords?"

"I did, Erza. Ultear says that we should even out the household chores a little bit more, you know. But about the cooking thing. There just a small problem."

"Yeah?"

"I haven't cooked a thing in my life."

Erza slapped her forehead. "I'll help you, okay?" Jellal nodded. "Alright. Let's begin."

* * *

Meanwhile, Makarov and Mavis had assembled Fairy High's instructors for an emergency meeting. Even for the most experienced teachers gasped and lost their breath in shock of Mavis' foretold future. She may have the appearance of a child, but if all her brains were brawn, she could probably destroy the world with a snap of her fingers. And she was never, ever, wrong.

"Mavis-sama, what do you suppose we do?" Yajima said, his face full of worry.

"Even I am not sure yet. For the time being, tell no one but any other teachers and our most trusted advanced students. Make sure that no one else discovers this, and maintain an attitude to give the impression that there is nothing wrong," Mavis activated her archive magic, and began transferring all the information she had accumulated into the instructors' minds. They were all at a loss. "Makarov, inform Laxus, Rufus, and Ultear. Ask them to supervise the school and investigate any possible sneak attacks or traps."

"Yes, Master Mavis." Makarov took out a small machine and transmitted a coded message to Laxus. He called Rufus using radio waves, and contacted Ultear and talked to her personally with a magic orb like hers.

"Master... this is bad, isn't it?" Ultear had a glint of surprise mixed with anger in her eyes.

"This must be hard on you after so long, Ultear. I am sorry for your past. Remember what you are to do. For now, keep an eye on things."

"Yes, Master. And you don't have to say sorry for what happened in my past. You weren't involved, after all," she smiled sadly to the small elder. "nonetheless, thank you."

The transmission went dead, and Makarov sighed. He couldn't blame Ultear for holding a grudge against that that man. Not after what he has done.

* * *

"Jellal, stir faster," said the redhead Erza, peeking over Jellal's shoulder to see what he was doing. Erza had tried with great effort to teach Jellal enough cooking skills to prepare a little bit of food, but alas, it was all but working. She didn't blame him, he was trying, mostly because she said that she would force a frilly pink apron onto him if he failed. "You're going to burn it."

"O-okay," Jellal turned the utensil around the pot faster. Too fast. A bit of the food fell to the ground, making Erza stare blankly at him.

"And if you go too fast, you spill," Erza told him. "You don't need me to learn that, dummy. Plus, after being in this household for so long, you should be in the kitchen sometimes when Ultear is cooking."

"Well, it's just that you're leaning on me right now. It's making me lose focus," Jellal retorted quietly, composing himself after wiping the split food off the hardwood floor. Realizing what she was doing, Erza backed up, letting her arms flail around aimlessly.

"Aw, you two would make a wonderful couple, y'know that?" a white-haired teenager said, smiling. "Yes! Blue and red. Together, they can make a beautiful, passionate shade of purple. Your first date would be at the park, were you could point out the constellations and have a wonderful, romantic moment! And you could-" Before Mirajane could finish her sudden matchmaking ideas, Erza cupped her mouth before she or Jellal would just pass out.

"M-Mira."

"Oh, sorry, I guess my imagination went a little over-board," Mira apologized. In her mind, she was adding "Jellal & Erza" to her mental top ten list of possible couples. The entire list was too long, but the female devil forgets nothing. "Ah, look, Meredy is coming downstairs," she said, pointing at the girl with bubblegum colored-hair, waving cheerfully at them as she came into the kitchen.

"Erza-chan," Meredy said, pointing her finger at the pot, "I think you should turn the stove off now."

"Oh, good eye, Meredy," Erza replied, proceeding to turn the stove off. "Well, we're all done now. Let's set the table now."

Meredy asked to set all the dishes since she had done nothing else. Gleefully, she avidly slapped the plates and cutlery onto the table, albeit lightly. She presented it childishly and proudly, earning her a giggle of amusement from Mira and a smile from Erza.

"Well, it seems like I made it here on time," a certain black-haired mage said. "I see that you guys enjoyed this. That's good. Now, how about we start dinner?" she said, and all of them nodded. "Alright, I call the far left seat."

* * *

Elsewhere, Cobra was walking through the slums of the city, kicking random rocks in his normal monotone way, when the machine in his pocket began to vibrate. Flipping it open, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Do you remember what you owe me? Huh?" said a feminine voice, whining. "You owe me 8 000 jewels! And it's been three months already. When are you gonna return the money you owe me, huh, Cob? Eight thousaaand!"

"Don't call me Cob, Angel. I will return what I owe, as long as you stop talking like Hoteye. It's freaking annoying," Cobra replied. Cobra cringed at the thought of remembering Hoteye. He was one of his middle school teachers, and all his talk about money, finance, and all that crap about economy drove him and everyone else nuts. If that wasn't bad enough, he looked like he was made out of building blocks, for god's sake. And he even wears lipstick. However, he go into an accident that changed his entire personality, making him constantly talk about the "joy of love". It made everyone want to hurl.

"Disgusting! Don't compare me to that idiot teacher! He was ugly, oblivious, and after he got that behavior flip, it was even worse, dammit! I take this as a personal insult, Cob, you jerk! You shall receive the judgment of an angel for this! An angel!" with that, the connection went dead and Cobra shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. Angel was way too short tempered now. Now that Cobra thought about it, the only reason why they knew each other was that they worked for the same man, Brain, back before they went into their teenage years, along with some others as they had magic power ripe for use. A few people, including him, had run off to their freedom as Brain did not keep the security high, and thus, Cobra had been living alone ever since then, and met Angel while he first went into regular society by chance.

Cobra went back to kicking pebbles around to waste time. He didn't know why, but he was in a surprisingly decent mood right now. Somehow, he felt a bit nostalgic when he helped that Kinana girl. Strange. He felt slightly hopeful. It was a warm feeling, making him see more beauty in the world. But then, the logical side of his brain took over and everything became cold, hostile, and would kill you if you got too close. That's right. iShe/i died, and there was no possible was to bring the dead back. He knew Angel felt very much the same, but simply with a different personality and perspective, and less strongly. And perhaps that is why her temperament is so foul.

Cobra walked up to his apartment and turned his lock with his key. After he was inside, he went and fetched several small vials containing different assortments of toxins, and began to mess around with them, as if preforming science experiments. When he was done, he would gulp the poison as if it were an energy drink of some sort, and then went to sit down on a wooden stool.

* * *

"Ultear, this assortment of food is fantastic! If you put them together, it makes a great, tangy flavor!" Erza gave Ultear a thumbs up, who was still eating, but heard Erza's comment, so she waved it off by giving her hand a little shake, while Meredy looked at Erza in disbelief.

"You actually like this stuff?! How? It's all weird and..." Meredy put her hand on her chin and made a deep-thinking pose. "Hmmm...unless..." Meredy decided to mix some roast chicken, salad, and sushi together, and put a spoonful into her mouth, chewing carefully and slowly, then sloshing it around her mouth before swallowing. "Bleagh. It's tastes like creamy sour chicken."

"That's only because you salad is nearly coated with dressing," Jellal pointed out. He was right. Even Meredy could not see the green tint of the veggies anymore, it was just sour white goop. "You should just remove some of that and it will probably taste better."

"I know how much I added to this... Kind of... But I like dressing..." Meredy said. "Hey, how's high school?" she asked, taking a munch of her salad.

"It's fine, but you can't really tell when only two days have passed," Jellal answered, ruffling his azure hair. "You good, Erza?"

"Well, I don't really want to be a bother, considering that this wouldn't be very severe and it would be better if only limited amount of people knew," Erza explained, "it would really be a hassle, because even I don't know what's going on." she continued. Jellal, and the rest fixed their gazes onto their redheaded friend, ripe with curiosity, with the exception of Mira, who already knew what she meant. "Fine, I'll tell, but don't tell anyone. There's this girl, who's a first year at Fairy High too, named Lurana, who obviously loathes me."

"Yeah, I met her," Mira added. "Not the nicest girl ever. In fact, I even see the intent to harm in her eyes. Do you know her, Jellal?"

Jellal thought for several seconds, searching for the one who bore the name. "You mean that girl with the hair color similar to Mirajane's, but a bit darker? I don't know her a lot, but she was in one of my classes for the last few months for the last few months of middle school, after she transferred. She didn't talk to others, including me. Apparently, she has no past record."

"That's eerie," Ultear said. Unlike her usual casual expression, she had a serious one and thought about some of the things she was told. _The enemy could be in fact one of our own..._ Those words did not sit well with her. "No past record... Erza. I'm getting a bit suspicious. Stay wary of her, and be careful."

"Um, alright. You're taking this rather seriously, Ultear," the requip mage replied, taking a bite of her sushi. "I guess that it's just you're just following you gut, huh?"

"Yeah. You see... I just heard some news earlier and I thought that you guys, and I mean all of you, should stay aware of your surroundings for your own safety," Ultear said, but began to realize that the people at the table probably thought she was being strange. "Either that or I'm really tired right now, and it's making me paranoid," she joked, smiling again, and was glad that some caught her smile, which eased up the atmosphere more.

The room filled with an uneasy silence. All the mages sat in their seats, their minds blank, until Meredy told Ultear that they were all done dinner, and suggested that Erza and Mira sit in the living room for a while before they left. They all agreed. Erza seated herself on the middle of Ultear's couch, legs crossed. While Meredy sat next to her on one side, the time mage forced Jellal to sit on the other, Mira relaxed in an arm chair and Ultear sat on a simple stool.

"You sure have a taste for decorating, Ultear," Mirajane complimented, observing her surroundings.

"Thanks. Come to think, we should get to know each other more, so we should have someone else introduce the another. How about it? There's still fifteen minutes until Erza and Mirajane's bus gets here," she suggested. None of them seemed to mind, so they got started. "I'll start," Ultear said, and pointed at Meredy, "This is Meredy, my younger adoptive sister. She is a cheerful teen with a very keen sense of humor. She seems to like gothic clothing."

Meredy eyed her sister upon hearing 'gothic', but realized that it was true after a bit of thought. "This is Jellal," she began, "he just started high school and likes puzzles and mind games. His favorite subject is magic physics. Some people believe he's a ladies-man because of all the female company he gets."

Jellal ruffled his hair nervously at her remark. "Alright… this is Ultear. She has taken care of Meredy and herself since the age of thirteen, and can be slightly sadistic at times. She likes machines and computers, and is very skilled with using them. She also prefers blinds over curtains."

"Uh, this is Mirajane. She is a very kind person, but her magic begs to differ. To strangers, she can seem like a bubbly high schooler, but is actually very cunning. She enjoys cooking and singing, and has many other hobbies."

"This is Erza. She loves to eat cake, and is a very capable and powerful mage. Erza can be socially awkward due to the minor interaction she had with others as a child. Her favorite color is blue."

"How did you know that was my favorite color?" Erza turned to her ever-smiling friend.

"I guessed," Mira stuck her finger up knowingly and waved it around, "and apparently I was right."

"I like your style, Mirajane," Ultear said, giving Mira a prideful look. "very cunning indeed."

The group began to chat, and in no time, there was only fifteen minutes until Erza's and Mirajane's bus would arrive. They both got ready, taking their possessions and said their goodbyes.

"Let's hope we passed, alright, Jellal?" Erza said as she walked into the dark along with Mirajane.

"Without a doubt, Erza." To the redhead's surprise, Jellal held her hand for several moments before letting go. "I enjoyed this night. See you tomorrow, Erza."

"Yeah, bye."

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Tell me of you wanna. The next chapter, everyone will get their trial results, but I guess you guys already know who's going where. -_- We will also meet the advanced teachers, and the students will be starting their first class assignment! Joy (sarcastic).**

**Thanks for reading.**


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